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CDC: Worst Flu Season in 10 Years

Updated: Tuesday, January 15 2013, 03:35 PM CST
According to the Center for Disease control, influenza activity continues to increase in the United States with most of the country now experiencing high levels of influenza-like-illness.

Experts are calling this the worst flu season in 10 years.

Forty-one states are reporting widespread geographic influenza activity for the week of December 23-29, 2012; an increase from 31 states the previous week. Geographic influenza activity takes into account the number of areas in a state that are reporting increases in laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza, influenza outbreaks, ILI, and other indicators of activity.

Since October 1, 2012, 2,257 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations have been reported; an increase of 735 hospitalizations from the previous week. This translates to a rate of 8.1 influenza-associated hospitalizations per 100,000 people in the United States.

Medical experts say you can take preventative measures to fight back. The first and most important step is getting a flu vaccination every year.

Doctor Sujit Iyer from Dell Children’s Medical Center says it’s not too late to get your flu shot and one vaccine every year can prevent doctors’ visits and medical bills for you and your family.

"We are experiencing a flu season that has spiked early but we are not done with it and we don’t know when it’s going to end. We always talk about the people in the extreme of age, the very young children and very old adults,  the job of the general population is that we get vaccinated so we don’t spread it to those people, “said Iyer.

Doctors giving the flu vaccine say is the only thing that can decrease the rate of spread and may prevent you from getting it.

Travis County is offering free flu vaccines for all those who don’t have health insurance. CDC: Worst Flu Season in 10 Years